Ashley Cole was last night facing a police ­investigation for shooting a student working at Chelsea.

The 30-year-old defender accidentally blasted Tom Cowan, 21, while clowning around with a .22 air rifle brought to the club’s Surrey training ground.

Bosses fined Cole £250,000 for the crazy stunt. Police said: “We will be contacting the club to see if an offence was committed.”

Tom suffered a flesh wound after being shot in the side. But gun expert David Dyson said: “Air rifles have killed people.”

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AS dressing room antics go, Ashley Cole’s air gun stunt has to be the craziest in the history of football.

The defender’s madness left work ­experience student Tom Cowan in agony with blood pouring from his wound – and experts said he was lucky to be alive.

Last night police launched an ­investigation into the shooting at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey.

A spokesman said: “While no direct ­allegation has been made to Surrey Police the matter has been brought to our attention through reports in the media.

“We will be contacting the club to establish if any criminal offences having been committed.” Tom, 21, was shot from 5ft away after Cole, who earns £125,000 a week, started larking around with the .22 air rifle in the changing room.

A Chelsea source said: “Tom screamed as the pellet hit him in the side. It went through his clothing and into his flesh. He was bleeding profusely. He was in agony.”

Firearms expert David Dyson said Loughborough University sports science student Tom could have paid with his life for Cole’s clowning around. He added: “People have been killed with air rifles and you shouldn’t point a gun at anybody, whether it’s loaded or not.

“If someone was hit in the eye and it went into the brain somebody could die.”

Cole, 30, is believed to have apologised after getting a severe rebuke from bosses. He has been fined two weeks’ wages – £250,000. It is thought he had no idea the weapon was loaded.

But the source said: “A professional footballer with a gun at training is not just ­overstepping the mark, it’s taking a running leap over it.

“And for him to shoot a young lad is a disgrace. Tom is a star struck youngster who looked up to the senior professionals. But that’s been shattered.” Tom’s quantity surveyor dad Ronald, 51, from Welton, Lincs, is said to be furious and has had two ­meetings with club bosses about the shooting. The source added: “Ron wants to make sure this isn’t brushed under the carpet. He needs to know Cole ­realises the consequences of his actions.” Ron said: “I am not talking to anybody.”

Chelsea medics treated Tom, on a year’s internship with Chelsea, after the shooting last Sunday. He was given two days off to recover from his ordeal. He was called to a three-hour meeting on Wednesday with ­officials. The club is said to have gone into “lockdown” to prevent details spilling out.

A source close to Cole insisted the air rifle did not belong to the player and several others had passed it around.

Anyone found guilty of assault with an air rifle could face up to five years in jail. But a ­conviction could only be secured if it was proved the person shooting it meant harm.

A police source said: “If there was an obvious risk of danger resulting from the actions, then that is termed recklessness and an offence of assault has been committed.

“But without co-operation from the victim it would be very unlikely that the CPS would be able to bring a successful charge.”

Chelsea said: “We have fully investigated and we are taking appropriate action.”

Cut him some slack.. it was an accident - Oliver Holt

A FEW weeks ago, Ashley Cole was voted Player of the Year by England fans.

It had not been a particularly good year for Fabio Capello’s side, admittedly, but it was clear evidence Cole had begun to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the public.

Whatever he may have done off the field, he is still one of the few genuinely world class players in the England team.

That is why what happened at the Chelsea training ground last week is such a setback for Cole because it re-establishes the idea of him as a spoiled idiot.

But maybe this time, just for once, we should cut him a little bit of slack. What he did was dumb, obviously. Really dumb. The lad he shot was not seriously hurt but he could have been.

Cole says he did not bring the weapon into the training ground and it was not his. Other players had been handling it, too. It could have gone off by accident at any time.

And let’s try and put what Cole did in a little bit of perspective. Fourteen months ago, two American basketball players threatened each other with loaded handguns in the Washington Wizards locker room.

That does not excuse what Cole did but there were no bad intentions in his actions.

This was an accident. He didn’t mean to do it. Chelsea have dealt with him severely and that is where the matter should end.

So sorry, I won't excuse this brat - Polly Hudson

ASHLEY Cole has shot a kid. OK, so this time it was an accident, but I’m surprised ­something like this hasn’t happened sooner.

We’ve set a precedent that footballers can get away with anything. It’s only a matter of time before one embarks on a Raoul Moat-esque spree. And we’ll shrug and say “boys will be boys”. Forget finding a cure for cancer or bringing world peace, if a boy displays a talent for being able to run and kick a ball – sometimes even into a net – he’s ensured a life of being treated better than royalty.

His parents, agents and managers fall over themselves to give their golden egg whatever his little heart desires, to cater to his every whim, so he can focus on his “gift”. Then, once he’s grown up (physically, at least) he gets paid per week more than most of us earn in five years. To play a sport for ordinary people, most of whom now can’t afford to see a game.

No wonder footballers act the way they do. They lie, cheat, betray and now fire airguns at work experience boys. And the consequences? None they’ll lose sleep over.

Ashley Cole was told to apologise – he didn’t even automatically say sorry to someone after shooting them. He also got “a dressing down”. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d given him a dressing gown, not mentioning the boring old gun incident at all in case it upset him.